Venom
by Inuyashagirl7692
Summary: When the wall comes down. Hell goes in, and Hell comes out.
1. The End of Innocence

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_There's a third option. If we destroy the wall... _

_It wouldn't be paradise. It would be hell._

**Shion**

"Shion! SHION!" Somewhere in the crowd, Shion's mother was looking for him. He heard and calledout to her.

"Mom! Mom, I'm here!"

"Shion!" Her hair was disheveled, and her face was flushed, making her appear younger, but after all this time he could finally see her again. Not caring about his eyes, his hair, or his scar, she leapt into his arms and wept. "Shion, I'm so sorry, but I'm so happy you're alright. You're alive. I can't believe it, you're alive!" She wept and held him to her like if she let go he'd disappear again. His arms gently wrapped around her, holding her, keeping her from falling.

"I thought I'd never see you again." Shion said. Karan smiled at him through her tears.

"Silly, that's my line." She composed her self and gave Shion a good once over. Fingering his hair she said, "Your hair's gotten so long."

"And it's white." She hit him playfully.

"Mou, don't make fun of me. I was really worried about you. And Saifu..." A sudden hardness appeared in his eyes, quickly concealed with sadness.

"She's gone, mom. We failed."

Soft fingers caressed his cheek, "Don't undermine your efforts with such words, Shion. I'm sure Saifu would be upset." Tears glittered in her eyes, but now was not the time for tears. She would shed them later. For Saifu, and for everyone else Eluryias had taken from them. No. for everyone No.6 had taken from them.

A small cry interrupted her thoughts. A small baby looked up at her from the ground. It was nuzzled up next to a female dog. "Mama." She tried to add up in her head how many months Shion had been away.

"Uh, Shion?"

"Yes?"

"How long were you gone, exactly?" Dawning came on Shion almost immediately.

"Wah, she's not mine! She's an orphan. She needed someone to raise her, so..." _An orphan? If it's No.6's doing,than it's my duty to raise this child. _His mother looked at his flustered face with the slightest bit of amusement despite her somber thoughts.

"Most children bring home gifts, or stray puppies when they leave the house. Not babies." The sound of raised voices cut their happy reunion short.

"Who are these people? They're filthy." A woman with a shrewish voice spoke brashly. She was standing right next to a child who wore nothing but rags. "They smell like garbage."

Her boyfriend oggled an Outsider in his late 40's , "Hey, you! Do. You. . I'm. Saying." The man turned away, appalled by the No.6 brute. He felt something clench his shoulder. "Hey, old man, I'm talking to you!" The man turned and socked the boy in the face. A brawl broke out. It ended when one of the armed Outsiders accidentally killed a man.

Some had tried to stop the fight. Others had simply watched. Shion had wept. _So, it was a pipe dream, after all... Isn't that right, Nezumi?_

_***A month later***_

_Break it._

_Destroy it._

_Destroy what?_

_Everything_

No.6 was burning. Since the wall had been destroyed, the nonexistent crime rate in No.6 had skyrocketed. People were robbed and murdered in the streets. Woman couldn't leave their houses at night. Arson was becoming commonplace. And everyone had begun to carry weapons. The strange thing about this was, the Outsiders weren't the only ones committing the crimes. The people of No.6 had grown in a carefully controlled world that forced them to suppress their violent impulses and sexual desires. Now, without any restraints, some former No.6 elites were letting these desires run wild.

Shion had chosen to carry a concealed pistol. His mother had been against it. _I want Shion to stay Shion.I don't want you to change. _Hearing her echo Nezumi's words had momentarily disoriented him, but then fresh anger, hot and roiling, had swelled inside him.

"Look outside, Mom!" He gestured wildly at the window. Fires still burned brightly. Someone screamed. "This isn't No.6 anymore. It's not safe to walk outside alone rules have changed. Being a good obedient citizen isn't going to cut it. If you want to survive, if you want that baby to survive, then you have to let me protect you!" A hard knock came from the front door. Shion pulled it open with more force than necessary. "What?" Two men in black suits stood towering in front of him with a black car waiting on the road. How long ago would the sight of such a thing have left him trembling? Probably before he was forced to fall asleep to "Help me. Somebody save me." Every night it got easier to ignore. It wasn't really something new. The pleas for help, the dying cries had always been there. The only difference was that he could hear them now. He still couldn't do a thing to save them.

"We need you to come with us, Shion."

"Do I have a choice?"

"No." Shion sighed and put on his coat. It occurred to him that his mother might contact Nezumi.

"Mom, if I'm not back in an hour, do you think you could feed Hamlet for me?" The robotic mouse didn't need to be fed. His mother understood at once.

"I'd rather feed him right now if that's alright."

"Nah, if you feed him too soon you'll just spoil him. Bye, Mom. I'll be back soon."

"Take care." Shion followed the suit clad men into the car. One of the men turned to him, and asked, "What did you tell your mother?"

"I told her to feed my pet rat, of course." Shion looked at the man like he was concerned for his mental health. He let the subject drop._ Red eyes. White hair. Man, this kid is creepy._

…_**...**_

Six kids were waiting for them at the abandoned No.6 school. They were all surrounded by men in suits. Probably to make sure they didn't flee. One of them didn't look frightened. Shion could tel that he wasn't from No.6. He looked at Shion with surprise, quickly masked with contempt, when he got out of the car. Most of the boys looked surprised. _Well, this could be worse. I could have red eyes and white hair and stick out like a sore thumb. Oh wait..._

He made notes about each of the boys as they were introduced. Stinger was the Outsider, the trainer, and the leader. He had choppy brown hair, dark skin, and narrow brown eyes. His clothes were rags, but at this point, so were everyone else's. Shion was to be this boy's second in command since he had intimate knowledge of both No.6 and the Outside. He wanted to protest that he had to take care of his family, but he knew that if he disobeyed, his family would be the ones to pay for it.

Yellow Jacket smiled uneasily at his captors. His eyes darting around. Probably looking for possible escape roots if the situation turned bad. His yellow sweatshirt was ratty, and his mop of blond hair was even rattier.

Stripes looked sullenly at the ground. His hands played absently with a switch blade. Swaying slightly, his head seemed to be keeping time to a rhythm only he could hear.

Wingman stood up straight as he stared defiantly at his captors. He didn't have a plan, but he figured he could make one up quickly if he had too. Shion liked him instantly, or he would have a month earlier. He could feel the headache that he'd had for the past few days starting to get worse.

Swift seemed small and meek. His too long black bangs concealed half his face yet he didn't even bother to move them. He wasn't someone Shion would want to trust his back to, but if he was fast, he might be better used as recon than a fighter.

And finally Vespid. He was the youngest of the group at twelve years old, but he puffed out his chest like he had something to proof. Shion could see through the facade. He was trembling. Sympathy for the poor kid stirred inside him. How did he get involved in this? Where were his parents?

Everyone of the boys had something in common. An aura of anger and despair that hung around them like fog. Oh, and a Wasp related name. He had good idea of what they had all been gathered for, and he wanted no part in it.

"Alright, boys, now that you've all been introduced, I want you all to meet Venom. He's your sempai and we expect you all to respect him. Understand?" Five voices answered in the affirmative. Stinger didn't say a would as Shion had anticipated. "Venom, do you have any questions you want to ask these boys?" _Do you have any idea what's going on? Where are your parents? Were you kidnapped from your houses? Why is a boy from the Outside working with No.6? _He settled for one.

"Where are your parents?" A tenseness made the air feel even heavier than the smoke already made it. It was Wingman who finally answered, "We're all orphans here." _Orphans? No.6 orphans? Did their parents die from the parasite wasps? Were they murdered? _"All our parents were murdered within the last week." _All of them? That doesn't make sense. Unless..._

**Wingman**

It had been difficult for Wingman to find out when the other children had lost their parents without the guards noticing, but when he had, he came to the same conclusion that Venom was going to come now. Hopefully. He waited for the new member to understand what he had said, and wondered what he'd do when he realized that No.6 was taking advantage of the chaos to conveniently murder people... He wasn't disappointed. Venom pulled out a concealed pistol and shot one of the guards in the shoulder.

Then he made a break for his home. Wingman was able to disable a few of them before being overwhelmed. It felt good to finally put his years of studying the human anatomy to good use.

**Stripes**

When the bullet went off, Stripes was ready. He killed the guard nearest him in a second. The second one felt like it took even less time. These bastards took his parents away. They took his future away. Why shouldn't he take their lives away?

**Swift**

Swift smiled; the kind of grin that seemed out of place on the face of a child. He kneed his captor in the crotch, and turned to run away, but... Vespid wasn't moving._ Come on, kid. We have to get out of here._ The boy wasn't moving. He was just standing there in a daze as the fight went on around him. Swift was just about to leave him when Yellow Jacket picked him up. They started to run.

"You weren't planning on leaving this kid behind were you?" The blond haired boy inquired. The black haired child didn't answer.

Somewhere a car had started. They ran faster. The hot air burned their lungs but they didn't slow down.

"Hey! Someone get in this car so I can go!" It was Venom! He'd hot wired a car. How'd he do that? Swift and Yellow Jacket piled in. Followed by Stripes, and lastly Stinger came in with a beat up looking Wingman.

Yellow Jacket observed tactfully, "Man, you look like shit." Wingman groaned.

"So does your sweatshirt." By the time they finally got to Venom's house, Wingman and Yellow Jacket were practically at each others throats. Vespid was still mentally MIA. Stripes was playing with his switch blade, Swift was yelling for them to shut the hell up, and Stinger was contemplating jumping out of the car. When the car stopped, everything was silent except for the crack and pop of burning wood. Venom rushed out of the car but Stinger managed to keep him from running into the flames.

**Shion**

"They're gone, Venom! Your families gone!"_ It's not my 's not my name. _He struggled against Stinger's hold on him. He shouted for his mom, he shouted for his sister, he shouted for his dog, his rat, his best friend. No one came out of the building. Eventually he collapsed. The boys watched him with sad eyes. They too had watched their houses burn. The air smelt horrifically sweet. It smelt like burnt baked goods. A strange thought came to Shion. His mother loved baked goods so much, and now she was one. A baked mother. A baked baby... Everything inside his stomach came bursting out, leaving him empty and cold in the heat of fire. Cars surrounded them. Men in black suits filed out, but he hardly noticed. His family was gone, and that was all that mattered.

_Surely, this must be hell._

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	2. Doctor

_**Wasp. **_It was the name of the organization created to combat crime on both sides of the crumbled wall.

Many referred to it as No.6's (renamed Free Land) secret police. The citizens had been given a choice between creating Wasp and rebuilding the wall about two weeks after the wall was destroyed. One member of the community had not only voted against the rebuilding of the wall, but had insinuated that

someone might blow it up if anyone so much as started. The new makeshift government decided that it needed to find a way to keep that citizen under control.

Wasp consisted of seven members. Each member had a codename and were chosen from the best and brightest of the Free Land society. Only one member was an Outsider. He had volunteered to train the other six members in the ways of combat and crime prevention. His codename was Stinger.

**Stinger**

He hadn't volunteered to be a member of Wasp for the money. He'd done it because he'd wanted to see how No.6 changed from the inside. And just in case it didn't change, he wanted the safety they guaranteed for his mother. Why hadn't he realized then that agreeing to such a deal would almost automatically mean that they could hurt her if he ever tried to get out of it? Even with all he knew about No.6, he had trusted Free Land, and now he was just as trapped as his teammates. Maybe even more so. After all, they didn't have to worry about their parents being hurt.

He hadn't known then, that he'd be training mere children how to fight dirty. He hadn't realized that these kids would have their parents murdered to make them more willing killers. The youngest kids took a very analytical approach to their training, as if they were still in school. The boy with the switchblade, on the other hand, seemed fully aware of what his training was to be intended for, as did the white haired boy. Probably, all of them were aware that the time would come when they would be forced to use the skills he taught them... He wanted to be there for them when they did. He wanted to postpone that time if he could, and if not, he would at least make sure that his teammates were ready.

Perhaps the worst part about this team of children, the team he was entrusted to lead and protect, was living and breathing proof that Free Land was just another name for No.6. The same No.6 that had taken his baby sister away before he'd even been born.

**…...**

Sometime after Venom had finished burying his family, Stinger asked him about Nezumi. He'd bought information from a guy who had gone by that name before... when he was still looking for his sister. "I heard you calling out to Nezumi when... your house burned down. Did you know him?" He wasn't easily intimidated, so he didn't even flinched when the boy observed him with a palpable coolness.

"Know him? I once called him "my most important person." _Oh, so he swings that way._

Stinger angled himself slightly away from the white haired noticed this and laughed, a strange hollow sound; too heavy for the wind to carry. "Our relationship wasn't like that. We completed each other. I was attracted to him like a polar magnet might be attracted to its non polar counterpart." This was the first time Venom had actually spoken like someone from No.6. He wasn't sure whether he was relieved or not. Well, at least he was speaking.

"So what happened? You guys trade ions or something?" It was meant to be a joke, but he saw a dark cloud pass over Venom's expression.

"More like our polarities mixed until we couldn't stick anymore. At least that's what Nezumi believes."

"What do you believe?"

"The person he thought was me. The person I thought was me, was never really a person at all."

"... I'm sorry. About what happened to your mom." He hesitated. The next words hit too close to home."And your sister."

"You don't need to apologize."

"No. But you deserve one. We all do." They stood in silence for a while, before Stinger spoke again, "Do you really want to be called Venom?" Stinger watched his brow crinkle, probably wondering what his motivation was.

"Did you ask the others this kind of question?"

"Yeah. They don't want to go by their real names."

Nodding with understanding, Venom replied, "Our true names just don't fit us anymore."

**…...**

This was Wasp's first time on patrol on the abandoned streets and dirt paths of Free Land. Stinger made sure to be on look out at the front, and Venom held the back. Their outfits were black and lightweight. Perfect for night patrol and combat. Now if only Yellow Jacket hadn't refused to take off his sweatshirt... or if he would just shut up for a second, they might actually have been taken seriously.

"Hey, we look pretty professional, right Wingman?" Yellow Jacket asked.

"Yeah. Or at least we would if somebody didn't insist on wearing their crappy yellow glow in the dark sweatshirt."

"Your just jealous of my one of a kind look."

"If someone barfed all over me I'd look exactly the same."

"What was that?" He shouted, indignantly, while encroaching on Wingman's personal space.

"You heard me!"

They growled at each other menacingly, at least until one very annoyed Stinger broke rank and bashed their heads together,"Both of you, shut the hell up! We are Wasps. S_ilent killers_. Now if you two can't get that through your heads I'll order tape to be placed over your mouths every night before we go on patrol. Understand?" They nodded while glowering at each other out of the corners of their eyes.

"I thought wasps made a lot of noise?" Stinger swung around. Furious.

"Who said that?" No one confessed to saying a word.

**Swift**

Swift had thought the whole thing was hilarious but he had learned from experience that all threats extended to him if he so much as smirked. _How boring._Behind him, Venom hadn't made a sound. He didn't know what to make of him. When they'd first Venom, he'd seemed so... weak. Then he was shooting guns in the air and driving a get away car. Now, he looked like a killer. Maybe they all did.

His white hair had gotten long. It was almost to his shoulders. All their hair had gotten long. It's not like the Free Land government provided them with a barber shop. And there were no parents to tell them what to do, anyway. So, why should they cut their hair?

Vespid and Stripes were also silent. Vespid was a walking coma paitent so that wasn't new. His usual expression was a blank and vacant mug. Stripes was sporting a rather chilling smile. They were a frightening bunch, no matter how much Yellow Jacket would like to pretend he's normal.

**Stinger**

They approached an alleyway they hadn't patrolled yet. It reeked with the sharp smell of blood, sweat, and... antiseptic. "Wingman, do you have your rifle on you?"

"Last time I checked it was strapped to my back, Sir!" Stinger swallowed his frustration._ I keep doing my best to keep these kids from getting themselves killed and they just keep fighting me._

"You think you get setup your rifle on the roof and use the night vision scope to tell us what we're getting into?"

"Of course."

"Yellow Jacket, you go with him... Stay out of sight."

"Yes, Sir!" He scampered after Wingman.

"And stay quiet." The exasperated young leader hissed after them. "Venom, Vespid, Stripes, you go around the back and cut off any escape routes. Swift and I will enter through here." They heard a muffled cry of ow, followed by the sound of hushed bickering. _"..._Just get into your positions."

**…..**

**Wingman**

Wingman had just finished setting up his rifle when he heard Yellow Jacket cry out. His breath caught, and he spun around too quickly, knocking his weapon over.

"Damn, I think this stupid roof gave me a splinter."

"A splinter? You may have given away our position because of a _splinter_? Listen, if you don't start taking this seriously, someone's going to get hurt. I know I joke around too but that doesn't mean I don't have my eyes and ears open. Just you're sweatshirt makes you an easy target." Resetting the scope and night vision didn't take too long. He got started on it.

"My mom made this sweatshirt for me before she died. She loved to knit stupid stuff like this." His voice sounded strained, even for a whisper.

"I don't think your mom would want you to die for it." Finally! He got it working. He looked at the front and back of the alleyway. Everyone was in position. He aimed the scope toward the center of the alleyway... and was horrified at what he saw. He signaled Stinger.

**….**

**Stinger**

Below, Stinger recognized the signal for one suspicious person. Possibly armed. It was too flashes followed by a striking motion with a flashlight. He noted that Wingman's hand seemed unsteady. His tough clicked the roof of his mouth, and he turned on his headlight. In the center of the alleyway was a haggard looking man in his late 30's. Doctor's robes stained with dirt and sweat covered his torso. The man was bent with concentration over the young girl he was dissecting. Venom already had a gun to his head.

Rage distorted his features. Even Stripes looked repulsed by the man; his switch blade swung in nervous frantic arcs by his side. As Stinger got closer, he could see why. The man had opened the girl up with a scalpel, flayed her skin like a autopsist might do. Revealing her white ribs. Wild, frantic eyes stared out at him from the girl's face. This man, he wasn't from outside the wall. He was a monster from inside that had gotten out.

"Isn't this great? I've never done a live autopsy before. I suppose it kind of defeats the purpose of the autopsy-" Venom gritted his teeth and made to pull the trigger.

"Venom! Wait-" To Stinger's surprise, it was Stripes that stayed his hand. He grinned at Venom with narrow eyes.

"Death is too good for this guy. I've got a better idea." Stripes asked Stinger to get Swift and Vespid out of the alley.

"I won't leave without the girl." Stinger insisted.

"Do you honestly think she's going to survive this?" Stripes retorted.

"It's not up to us to decide." Venom pulled some cloth from the ground and laid it out for the girl. Stinger gently lifted her onto it. He could see her heart beating... It was already slowing down.

Stripes continued."Don't come back in. We'll come out when we're ready." Yellow Jacket and Wingman climbed off the roof to the sound of gunshots and screams.

**…..**

**Stripes**

"Venom, you know that girl's going to die, right?" He asked after he'd finished stripping the Doctor of his clothes.

"Yeah." He shot the man in the shoulder.

"Shouldn't we have just mercy killed her?"

"...Maybe. Maybe it's better for her to die fighting to live." He shot the man in the kneecap. Screams echoed in the night. "What are you planning on doing with this guy?" Stripes threw his blade into an Achille's tendon.

"I plan on leaving him by the wall with a note that tells everyone who sees him what he did and who did it to him. That should do well to reduce crime. Not too much, though. Because then we'd be out of the job." It laughed at the thought as he retrieved his blade. Venom watched him wipe the blade clean, and then thrust into the man's other tendon.

The girl died.

.

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*Author's Note: I changed the story a bit. Hopefully it's clearer now.


	3. Things Change

_2 Years Later_

_Do you want to live?_

_Yes._

_Then why are you putting yourself in danger?_

_I want to see my mom again._

_I'm so sorry. This is all my fault._

_Don't sweat it. Just watch yourself out there.I may not be there to save you next time._

A lot of things happened in two years. Yellow Jacket threw out the sweatshirt his mother made for him after Wingman took a bullet with his name on it. Vespid finally opened up to Venom after almost getting himself killed during a psychotic break. Venom and Stinger had both made sure the kid didn't get any blood on his hands since then. Swift found he excelled at catching pickpockets and spotting stolen goods. He made up for his lack of physical prowess with his keen eyes and ears. Wingman was the team's guardian angel. They could leave their backs open if necessary, and sometimes purposely, with him watching them through his sniper scope. Stinger still railed at him, though, when he used the radios to make it look like Stinger was taunting every person he passed by and telling dirty jokes. It was fun.

Even though they had lost their innocence, they still had each other. Just as their hearts had begun to heal, so too had Free Land. Buildings that had been burnt down in the first few weeks of its birth had been rebuilt. The Outside (now a equal part of Free Land) received funds to feed, clothe, and educate its children.

On the other hand, some things didn't change. The playhouse was still very popular among the lowest kind of men, and whore houses were still abundant. Vespid wanted to go to the playhouse.

"But why can't I go?" Stinger sighed, massaging his forward.

"Because I said no."

"That's not a reason."

"It is when I say it." Vespid ran over to Venom.

"Venom-nii, can I go to the playhouse?" Swift smiled, anticipating the answer.

"Sure. I don't see a problem." Vespid smiled smugly up at Stinger.

"Venom, why do you always feel the need to undermine my authority?"

"If it's that big of a problem I'll take him myself." Vespid watched the back and forth with interest.

"That is not the issue here. The issue here is I say "No.", you say "Sure. Why not?"

"... So if you said "Yes." and I said "No." and then _you _took him to the play, there wouldn't be a problem?"

"Yes. NO... Just take him to the play." Vespid jumped for joy. Wingman and Yellow Jacket came rushing over.

"A play?"

"We wanna go to a play, too!"

"What play is it?... Stinger... are you okay?" The dark skinned boy seemed to be bottling up some serious feelings, to the point where he looked like he was ready to explode. Wingman backed away.

"ENOUGH! We are all going to the play. We'll meet back here at six o'clock sharp. You all had better be washed, hair brushed, and bright eyed. Swift!"

"Sir?"

"Cut your bangs."

"..."

"Venom! Put your hair in a pony tail or so help me I will cut it off!"

"You wouldn't."

"Don't test me." He growled. "And Stripes! I know you're in that tree. Don't think for a second that you're exempted from this."

"Oh no, I wouldn't dream of it. Watching men cross dress as always been my ideal definition of "fun".

"...You're not-"

"No."

…...

All seven members of Wasp arrived at the playhouse in their finest suits. After two years, the government had finally decided to give them a salary. With that, they could go out, buy new clothes, eat fine food. The works. Most of the older boys agreed that the money was given to them so they wouldn't look like starving orphans, forced into labor, to the public.

Most of them had their hair in ponytails of varying lengths. Venom had the longest, wearing a black suit with a red tie, followed by Stinger, who was wearing a white suit with a black tie. Wingman had his shoulder length red hair in a short bun. Only Yellow Jacket had recently chopped his hair too short with a pair of blunt scissors. His leader had forbidden him from ever trying to cut his hair again... And from touching scissors in general.

The ad for the playhouse said that tonight's play was Romeo&Juliet. With the beautiful Eve playing the role of Juliet. Stinger recognized Nezumi almost immediately, but just in case...

"Venom?"

"Yeah?"

"Nezumi wouldn't happen to have a twin sister, would he?"

" 'Fraid not." Vespid was curious to see who they were talking about.

"Wow, what a pretty lady." He turned around to see both Venom and Stinger had turned their heads away in empathic embarrassment. "What's wrong with you guys?"

"Nothing." They answered simultaneously. Stinger cleared his throat.

"Alright guys, it's time to head in. Everyone form a line and don't break rank." This was met with a fewgroans. "I'm serious, I don't want anyone getting lost."

"Alright, everyone, follow the line Nazi." Wingman shouted in a deadpan tone of voice.

"Who said that?" The red head pointed to Yellow Jacket, and mouthed, "It was him." Yellow Jacket slapped his hand.

"Cut it out."

"What?" Swift rolled his eyes, and laughed. Venom and Vespid joined in until even Stinger couldn't resist a small smirk. Stripes was... still scary. But hey, he was smiling.

…..

The play went off without a hitch. Many of the members of Wasp had been born in No.6 and therefore had never seen a play before. They watched the tragedy in awed silence. For Venom, it was a nostalgic experience. After all, he had once been very close to Juliet. Stinger had trouble fathoming that the beautiful woman on the stage was the rude, cynical bastard he'd had to pay for information. He, no she, no he, was wearing a dress.

There was only one, barely noticeable, flaw in the whole play. If a flaw it could be called. At the climax of Juliet's monologue, she stopped. Her eyes widened, seemingly fixed on someone in the crowd... Then the moment passed. And she was speaking again. Stinger had wondered at this mistake- had he forgotten his line?- until he heard a harsh "Crap." from Venom. _Oh just great, now I get to meet Nezumi, the jealous lover. And right after meeting Nezumi, the crossing dressing wonder._

…_..._

The play ended to the usual applause. The sound didn't reach the show's main attraction. The whole night he'd been doing the show on autopilot. His mouth went through the motions and his body performed the actions while his thoughts rested with the face he'd seen in the crowd. Shion. What was he doing here? He was supposed to be living a peaceful life in No.6, or Free Land, or whatever the officials bothered to call it. What had happened to him in little more than two years?

He'd grown. Not just taller, he was sitting comfortably with six other boys. He'd been so awkward before. Long white hair was tied back in a low pony tail. His lean face revealed sharp cheek bones. Eyes sharp and intelligent.

Sadness welled up inside Nezumi when he realized leaving Shion hadn't prevented anything. The Shion sitting there was not the Shion he had first met. Yet, he wanted to meet him. He wanted to know what had changed.

He raced from the stage after the final bow.

…...

Stinger guided everyone out of the playhouse, trying hard to resist the urge to tell his team to hold hands. He'd never hear the end of the ridicule. Vespid cried out.

"Heeey, preeeetty boy, you waaannaa work at my shop?" A drunk pimp had grabbed Vespid by the arm.

Stinger cursed.

"Let him go, you bastard."

"Aand whyyy should I?" The drunk felt his arm wrenched painfully behind his back, and looked up to see two crimson orbs glaring down at him.

"Because he said so, you scum." Vespid was free now, scared but free, so Venom didn't need to punish the guy anymore. He wanted to, though. He glanced at Stinger. Stinger was looking somewhere else.

Juliet was running towards them, hair flowing in the wind and everything. _Well, this is awkward._He let the man go and he scampered away as Nezumi approached them. The air buzzed with excitement from Eve's presence. Wingman whispered to Yellow Jacket, "Do you think she's here to give us autographs?"

Stripes huffed, "Idiots. That's a guy."

"WAH?"

Vespid looked up at the pretty lady with awe and wondered why she looked so upset.

"Shion, what were you doing just now?"

"Did I upset you, Miss?" Nezumi swung out his arm, dramatically. Stinger stifled an eye roll.

"_Don't screw with me, Shion!" _There were tears in his eyes. "You weren't supposed to change. Not like this. You were supposed to stay, Shion."

"Stinger, who's he talking about? That's Venom-nii." Even though Venom had put a finger over his mouth, Vespid hadn't noticed it in time.

"Venom? Venom? What the hell kind of a name is that?"

"It's... Wasp related." Nezumi paled.

"You guys are Wasp." The youngest of them couldn't have been more than eleven years old. This was the dreaded police force that he'd heard rumors about? A bunch of brats?

"Venom-nii, it's bad to make nice ladies cry. I think you should apologize." _Actually, Vespid, this is partly your fault._

"Shion, do you kill people?"

"No... Not very often." Nezumi seemed stricken by the news. It was the same face he had worn when Juliet had heard Tybalt had been killed by Romeo. Venom wanted to comfort him. But he also wanted to grab him and shake him.

"Listen to me, Nezumi. This was not your fault. People change. I changed. There's no way I could have stayed exactly the way I was two years ago."

"Going from saving babies to killing people is not a minor change." A look of pain cut across Venom's face when he mentioned the baby. "...No." Stinger chose this moment to cut in.

"Listen, Nezumi, if you'd like to come with us and talk to Venom that's fine, but I don't think we should stay here too much longer." Shady people were starting to gather. It was better that they leave. "You might want to change. I'm not responsible if someone rapes you on the way over."

Nezumi laughed. "I'd like to see anyone try!" Stripes roughly brushed past him.

"Enough. I already sat through one play tonight. I don't need to see another." Wingman and Yellow Jacket followed him.

Stinger glanced back at Venom, "You coming?"

"Be there in a second. Well, Nezumi, I guess this is-" A hard kiss on the mouth cut him short. Venom looked up to see Nezumi's silver eyes glittering mischievously.

"That was a "see you later" kiss. I'm following you home tonight." Venom blushed, something he hadn't done in a very long time.

"You're not going to fit. There are only seven bunks we sleep." Nezumi was already walking away. He called back with easy nonchalance, "That's fine. I'll just sleep with you." Vesper looked up at Venom's smiling face as they walked away, "Hey, is he your boyfriend?"

"What? No, it's not like that." They quickly matched pace with Stinger, who was grinning widely.

"So that magnet thing you talked about was a bunch of bull, wasn't it? I knew you were gay."

"We're not gay!"

"He kissed you on the lips."

"That was-"

"He said he's going to follow you home."

"Well-"

"He's going to sleep in your bunk."

"..." Venom hung his head in defeat.

"It's okay, Venom-nii, we like you even if you're-"

"I'M NOT GAY!"


End file.
